 |
| |
|
 |
 |
 |
CHAMPAIGN, Illinois (Ticker) -- Illinois always prefers playing at Assembly Hall over a trip to the Kohl Center. Cory Bradford scored all 16 of his points in the first half as the eighth-ranked Fighting Illini avenged an earlier loss to Big Ten Conference rival Wisconsin with an 80-48 thumping, their 28th straight home win. Illinois (15-4, 4-2 Big Ten) suffered a disappointing 72-66 loss at Wisconsin on January 5. Frank Williams, a junior who has indicated he will leave for the NBA, stated afterwards that he was glad that it was his final game at the Badgers' Kohl Center. There were no such problems at home for the Fighting Illini, who matched the third longest home winning streak in school history. The record is 32 consecutive victories at Huff Gym from December 29, 1950-February 23, 1953. "At their place, they made shots. We made shots tonight," Illinois coach Bill Self said. "We got the ball inside and got easy baskets." Illinois put away the game with a 16-0 run that closed the first half for a commanding 46-23 advantage. Bradford scored the first eight points, including back-to-back 3-pointers that triggered the spurt. Brian Cook added a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer before Bradford connected again from the arc at the buzzer for a commanding 23-point halftime cushion. Bradford had four 3-pointers in a first half that saw Illinois shoot 68 percent (17-of-25) while Wisconsin (11-9, 4-3) committed 12 turnovers. "They scored on second shots, things like that," Self said. "They didn't get too many on their half-court possessions." Robert Archibald made all six shots for 14 points while Cook chipped in 12 points off the bench. Williams scored only two points but handed out five of the Illini's 25 assists. Illinois established a 25-12 lead before the Badgers scored seven straight points to climb within six on a basket by Freddie Owens with 5:21 left in the first half. That was as close as the Badgers got as Archibald responded with a dunk. The Illini substituted liberally in the second half and injured forwards Lucas Johnson and Damir Krupalija saw action. Johnson returned from a knee injury and had five points in his season debut while Krupalija played 11 minutes and did not score after missing six games with a sprained foot. "I don't know how the rotation is going to work," Self said. "(But) getting Lucas and Damir back is a big bonus." Owens and freshman Devin Harris each scored 13 points to lead Wisconsin, which saw its three-game winning streak come to an end. The Badgers were limited to seven baskets in the second half and reserve Mike Wilkinson had six of their 21 turnovers. Charlie Wills, who scored 19 points in Wisconsin's upset of Illinois, was limited to four on 2-of-11 shooting. The Badgers also misfired on 10-of-21 free throws. Illinois' last loss at home was a 69-66 defeat to Purdue on January 12, 2000. b . |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
